Casual Discussion Turkey to Start Using China's Covid-19 Vaccine After Tests Showed it was 91% Effective

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Turkey to Start Using China's Covid-19 Vaccine After Tests Showed it was 91% Effective​

A staff member checking vaccines during a media tour of a new factory built to produce a Covid-19 vaccine at Sinovac, one of 11 Chinese companies approved to carry out clinical trials of potential coronavirus vaccines, in Beijing. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)

Turkey will initially receive three million doses of Sinovac and have the option for 50 million more as it begins inoculations next month, starting with healthcare workers and the most vulnerable.​

• AFP
• LAST UPDATED:DECEMBER 25, 2020, 07:13 IST

Turkey will receive its first shipment of China's Sinovac coronavirus vaccine within days as preliminary domestic tests showed it was 91% effective, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday.

Ankara in the next few days will also sign a deal with Pfizer/BioNTech for 4.5 million doses, with the option to buy 30 million more from the US pharmaceutical giant and its German partner, Koca said

Turkey will initially receive three million doses of Sinovac and have the option for 50 million more as it begins inoculations next month, starting with healthcare workers and the most vulnerable.

Koca said the first shipments of the Chinese vaccine will be sent to Turkey on Sunday.

The preliminary tests on 7,371 volunteers in Turkey showed that the Chinese vaccine was 91.25 per cent effective, although phase three tests were still not complete.

Turkey "will be able to vaccinate 1.5 million or even two million people per day," Koca said, adding that the "first stage" of vaccinations would cover nine million people.

The nation of 83 million has officially recorded 19,115 Covid-19 deaths and 2.2 million virus infections.

Turkey to Start Using China's Covid-19 Vaccine After Tests Showed it was 91% Effective - News18

Turkey will initially receive three million doses of Sinovac and have the option for 50 million more as it begins inoculations next month, starting with healthcare workers and the most vulnerable.

www.news18.com

 

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Turkish doctor finds China's COVID-19 jab effective​

Doctor in southeastern Turkey received 1st dose of CoronaVac last month​

Mehmet Siddik Kaya |03.01.2021


DIYARBAKIR, Turkey

A Turkish medical doctor in the southeastern Diyarbakir province, who volunteered for trials of CoronaVac, a COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech, has recommended everyone to get vaccinated.

Interim results from phase 3 trials have shown that the vaccine is over 91% effective, according to Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, and the first batch of 3 million doses arrived in Turkey on Dec. 30.

Ilyas Yolbas, a pediatrician at the Dicle University, is one of the over 7,000 volunteers who were inoculated. He received a single dose last month.

"With peace of mind, people should definitely go and vaccinate themselves. They don't have to worry in any way. I recommend it," he told Anadolu Agency on Sunday.

Recep Tekin, a professor of infectious diseases and clinical microbiology at the Dicle University, who is also the university's COVID-19 intensive care coordinator, said no major side-effects were seen during their trial.

"No matter which vaccine arrives first, we need to be quickly vaccinated, without any prejudice and overcome this pandemic," he said.

Referring to the vaccination of Yolbas, Tekin said: "Even a single dose of the vaccine provided protection and generated anti-bodies. Two doses of the vaccine are routinely recommended in this case. With these two doses, there will likely be sufficient level of antibodies to protect the person against the novel disease."
Besides CoronaVac, Turkey has signed a deal with Pfizer-BioNTech to receive up to 4.5 million doses of their vaccine in the ongoing year.

Turkey plans to roll out a massive inoculation program soon, starting with healthcare workers.

Vaccinations will not be mandatory, but the country aims to convince the public about the necessity of the immunization, making mass vaccination possible.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/latest-on-coronavirus-outbreak/turkish-doctor-finds-chinas-covid-19-jab-effective/209708